Chapter 236: Chapter 230: Crystallization Weapons
Allen stood before the holographic projection.
The Rune Array for the Neutralizing Force Field slowly rotated in mid-air.
The essence of a Neutralizing Force Field was "reverse-filter cancellation."
’If the filter’s phase was shifted one hundred and eighty degrees, would the cancellation amplify the resonance instead?’
His experiment to weaponize the Crystallization Seed was based on this very speculation.
Allen’s fingers swiped through the air, dismantling the model. "What if I reverse this Rune Circuit?"
"Reverse the circuit?" Jarvis’s processing core began running at high speed. "Do you mean to amplify instead of cancel?"
"Exactly." A fanatical gleam shone in Allen’s eyes. "We’ll use the raw Crystallization Seed ore as the core energy carrier. Using a reversed neutralizing array, we will compress and amplify the radiation energy within the ore by a factor of tens of millions in an extremely short time, and then—release it instantaneously."
"Jarvis, reverse the node sequence and run a reverse simulation of the Magic Power flow."
A waterfall of data streamed by.
"Warning. Theory is invalid. Node overload rate has reached four hundred percent. Array collapse."
The holographic projection exploded into a cloud of light.
Allen’s expression was blank. ’I knew it wouldn’t be that simple.’
"Adjust the load-bearing circuits of the third and seventh nodes. Swap in the conduction parameters for Black Patterned Magic Steel. Run it again."
Failure. Again.
「Three days later.」
After countless trials and errors, a new Rune Array operated stably in mid-air.
"Reverse Neutralizing Force Field Rune Array simulation complete," Jarvis announced. "Resonance frequency compatibility: ninety-nine percent. In theory, it can instantaneously amplify the Crystallization Seed’s radiation intensity by one hundred and twenty times."
Allen snapped his fingers. "Good. The theoretical design is complete. Let’s start building the bomb. Prepare the experimental materials."
"The name ’Reverse Neutralizing Force Field Rune Array’ is too long. Let’s change it to ’Crystallization Amplification Rune’."
Allen walked into the underground laboratory and began testing the newly developed technology.
"All preparations complete. The experiment can begin," Jarvis reported.
Standing behind isolation glass, Allen watched as a strawberry-sized Crystallization Seed was placed on the test platform, next to a target made of Black Patterned Magic Steel.
"Activate the Crystallization Amplification Rune."
A blinding red light flared on the test platform. The originally faint crystallization radiation was magnified by the amplification array, instantly surging by over a hundredfold.
In less than a second, the Black Patterned Magic Steel target turned into a translucent white crystal.
Allen hit the stop button.
"Amplification factor: one hundred and thirteen times," Jarvis provided the data. "Duration: zero point three seconds. The raw crystal ore completely disintegrated after the overload output."
"It’s roughly in line with the theoretical simulation. This level of power is more than enough." Allen recorded the data.
’A weapon doesn’t need to be durable. It just needs to unleash maximum destructive power at the moment of contact.’
"Jarvis, establish three weapon development paths. Begin recording."
Allen spoke as he thought, "First, single-target armor-piercing."
"Name it the ’Crystal Armor-Piercing Bullet’." He set a hypothetical target. "It will be used against high-armor units, like Crystal Shell Giant Scorpions, Rock Armor Earth Dragons, and the Heavy Armored Golems of hostile forces. Upon impact, the raw crystallization ore will detonate. The amplification array will transform the armor into brittle crystal, followed immediately by the detonation of a kinetic charge for physical destruction."
[Recording complete. Generating blueprints. Estimated kill efficiency against heavy armored units increased by four hundred percent.]
"Second, area-of-effect."
"The Crystal Bomb. It will be filled with a standard unit of Crystallization Seed, its casing engraved with multiple amplification arrays. Upon detonation, it will create a fifty-meter radius Crystallization Field. All unprotected units within the field will be forcibly crystallized."
This was a crowd-clearing weapon that ignored physical defenses.
Based on Allen’s concept, Jarvis quickly constructed a physical model.
A metal sphere the size of a soccer ball.
The interior was packed with high-purity Crystallization Seed.
The outer layer was covered in reversed amplification Runes.
[Beginning simulation.]
On the screen, the metal sphere shattered. There was no deafening explosion, no towering pillar of fire.
There was only a visible, rainbow-colored ripple that spread rapidly outwards.
Wherever the ripple passed, everything—be it tough Black Patterned Magic Steel Armor, simulated living flesh, or even rocks and trees—came to an instant standstill.
Immediately after, ice-crystal-like patterns appeared on their surfaces as their internal structures were forcibly rewritten.
Within a second, all matter within a fifty-meter radius had been transformed into glassy crystals, so fragile they would shatter at a touch.
"Commander," Jarvis warned, "this weaponization plan is extremely dangerous. Given the reality-altering intensity at the moment of energy release, any loss of control within the workshop would cause all materials and equipment to crystallize instantly."
"That’s exactly the effect I want. It will be perfect to use on our enemies." Watching the hypothetical foes in the simulation turn to glass shards, Allen only thought that more power would be even better.
’Black Wizards? Hordes of Magical Beasts? As long as they’re hit by this thing, it doesn’t matter how many shields you have or how tough your body is. You’ll be turned into a pile of shattered glass.’
"The third type..." Allen paused for a moment.
’The armor-piercing bullets are for hard targets, and the Crystal Bombs are for group targets. I still need a specialized weapon designed for living beings, especially for Wizards who have various kinds of magical shields.’
"Jarvis, if the Crystallization Seed is ground into dust, will the crystallization effect disappear?"
[In powdered form, the ore’s crystallization effect is reduced by 30%. However, when dispersed densely, it readily adheres to equipment and the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.]
The corners of Allen’s mouth turned up.
"Excellent. The third type will be called the ’Crystal Micro-Dust Bomb’."
"Dispersed via an airburst, it won’t produce intense crystallization radiation, but will instead form a dust cloud covering a two-hundred-meter radius. The dust will adhere to the enemy’s equipment and skin, continuously crystallizing the structure of their clothes or gear, causing any surface Runes to fail. Once inhaled..."
"As long as they inhale just a tiny bit of the dust," Allen pointed to his own lungs, "the crystallization effect will spread from the enemy’s respiratory tract, alveoli, and blood. It will work from the inside out, turning them into corpses with organs made of glass."
’This thing is impossible to defend against. Even if the enemy has energy shields, as long as they need to breathe, they will die.’
"Sir, your weapon design philosophy is becoming increasingly anti-human," Jarvis suddenly commented.
"I am merely practicing the truth. A weapon that can efficiently eliminate the enemy is a good weapon."
"None of the three weapons are very difficult to manufacture. Begin trial production immediately."
Allen issued the command, "Produce ten of each to start. Prepare an underground firing range."
「Another half-month passed.」
All three types of crystal weapons were now complete.
Underground Level 5, Heavy Protection Firing Range No. 3.
The isolation walls were two meters thick, their surfaces covered in a heavy anti-magic coating.
Allen stood behind the explosion-proof glass of the observation room.
In the center of the firing range, an adult Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion was chained up.
He had purchased it; this type of Magical Beast could no longer be found in Zone 18.
Its hard carapace was extremely difficult to break with conventional attacks. Previously, Allen had mainly relied on the high temperature and vibrations of his Red Lotus Magic Missiles to kill them.
"Test Item One: Crystal Armor-Piercing Bullet."
A Pacifist raised a specially made single-person rocket launcher and aimed at the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion.
The giant scorpion screeched, struggling violently against the Rune chains.
"Fire."
A flash of fire.
The moment the warhead struck the hardest part of the giant scorpion’s back, a brief ring of light erupted, followed by a dull explosion.
The thick carapace the scorpion relied on for survival transformed into a translucent white crystal the instant the red light flashed. The subsequent explosion directly impacted this crystallized surface.
A large area of the crystallized carapace crumbled away.
A bloody hole the size of a water tank appeared in the giant scorpion’s thorax. Fragments of internal organs mixed with crystal dust gushed out.
Before the giant scorpion could even scream, it twitched twice and died on the spot.
"The enemy’s defensive resistance is rendered completely useless." Allen reviewed the data. "The armor-piercing effect has met expectations."
Alchemy Servants entered the range and dragged away the giant scorpion’s corpse.
The second test began.
In the center of the area were ten unconscious Low-Tier Magical Beasts and one Mid-Level Magical Beast equivalent to a First-level Wizard, along with three decommissioned Golems. They were scattered within a 50-meter diameter.
"Test Item Two: Crystal Bomb."
A mechanical arm placed a silver-gray spherical bomb in the exact center of the area.
Allen put on a pair of protective goggles.
"Detonate."
The moment the bomb’s casing shattered, a dense, rainbow-colored mist rapidly expanded in a hemisphere—a color that only appeared with an extremely high-intensity Crystallization Field.
The mist instantly swept across the fifty-meter radius and even affected the area beyond.
The entire firing range fell silent.
The mist dissipated.
All movement within the area was frozen.
The unconscious Magical Beasts and Golems remained in their previous postures.
There were no wounds on their surfaces, but they had been entirely transformed into shimmering crystal statues.
"Within the 50-meter zone, all life signs have ceased. Metal structural integrity has been reduced by ninety-nine percent. The instantaneous burst of the Crystallization Field rapidly decayed and vanished at 124 meters," Jarvis reported.
Allen pressed a button on the control console.
A small bomb dropped from the ceiling of the firing range.
CRASH.
The ten Magical Beast statues and three Golems shattered into a pile of white crystal shards in the explosion.
’Absolute annihilation. And if I pack it with enough ore, the range will be even greater.’
"This weapon is strictly forbidden from being manufactured inside the main workshop," Allen said, staring at the debris-strewn floor. "Move the production lines and storage depots to an isolated area near Mining Site 13."
"Command confirmed."
"The last one."
The firing range was cleaned up.
This time, the targets included a test dummy dressed in a low-level enchanted Wizard Robe and several types of caged creatures, including a goblin Allen had purchased.
"Test Item Three: Micro-Dust Bomb."
A black sphere was launched above the targets and exploded in mid-air.
An extremely faint, transparent cloud of dust drifted down.
The dust settled on the Wizard Robe on the test dummy.
Dense white spots immediately appeared on the surface of the Wizard Robe. The spots spread rapidly, and the protective Runes originally woven into it with magic-conducting thread failed.
Meanwhile, a large amount of dust drifted through the vents of the cages.
The various creatures inside sniffed the air and began to sneeze.
Half a minute later, the goblin’s eyes suddenly bulged, its eyeballs transforming into white crystals at a visible rate. It opened its mouth wide but could make no sound, as its throat and lungs had already partially crystallized.
It collapsed to the ground, its body convulsing violently. With each spasm, the eerie sound of shattering glass came from within its body.
Ten seconds later, the goblin stopped breathing. Its exterior was almost completely unharmed, but an autopsy would show that its entire respiratory system and cardiovascular network were now filled with crystalline structures. The same was true for the other creatures.
Allen’s eyes were calm, showing no emotion at the live experiment.
"Live testing complete. The designs for all three weapons are finalized."
He turned and left the observation room.
’With this arsenal, I now truly have the power to sweep away everything in this zone.’
"Jarvis, allocate resources and begin mass production of these three crystal weapons. Prioritize equipping the Purgatory and Storm Falcon units."
